Imam Muzammil Siddiqi is set to be honored by the Orange County Human Relations Commission next week. Not everyone is happy about it. REGISTER FILE PHOTO

When I wrote two weeks ago that the organizer of the controversial anti-Muslim-terrorist rally in Yorba Linda was now planning "something big" to protest the county Human Relations Commission award to be given May 5 Orange County's preeminent imam, Muzammil Siddiqi, I was unable to contact the imam himself for a response.

I have since had a couple of exchanges with Siddiqi regarding his posture on radical elements of Islam and his affiliations, if any, with those elements. Protest organizer Steve Admunson and other activists allege that Siddiqi, founder of Islamic Society of Orange County is unworthy of being honored for human rights because: 1) from 1997-2000, he was president of the Islamic Society of North America, which a 1991 Muslim Brotherhood memo put at the top of its list of "friends" in the radical group's attempt to gain control in North America; 2) Siddiqi is quoted as having supported Shariah law, which oppresses speech and religion under penalty of death; 3) he allegedly has stood by while blatantly radical statements were made by other Muslim leaders.

First, Siddiqi says, the Islamic Society of North America "to my knowledge, is not and has never been a front of any political organization in any country, in (the) U.S. or abroad." The ISNA, however, as I wrote earlier, was named as one of 246 unindicted co-conspirators by federal prosecutors in the Holy Land Foundation trial, in which five men were convicted in 2008 of aiding the terrorist group Hamas.

Siddiqi directed me to a later ruling in which an appellate court noted the list of 246 actually had been labeled by prosecutors, "List of Unindicted Co-conspirators/Joint Venturers." A "joint-venturer" can mean the party was not involved in any criminal activity with the H.L.F. – it could have been engaged in some perfectly lawful activity with an indicted party. Prosecutors never alleged which unindicted parties were which, the court noted.

Siddiqi's detractors contend that he supports Shariah, or Islamic, law. They contend there is only one interpretation of the law, that it is unbending, harsh and unconstitutional. Siddiqi doesn't deny that some Muslims embrace this version. He does deny that he is among them. I asked him questions on two issues his detractors always bring up: Should it be legal for cartoonists to draw pictures of the Prophet Muhammad? Should a Muslim be punished if he or she leaves Islam? Under the harshest form of Shariah, both are punishable by death.

His response: "I fully support U.S. Constitution, including its principles of freedom of speech and freedom of religion. I believe that freedom of expression should not be misused to make racist, anti-Semitic or abusive expressions against anyone. . . . I am, however, against, violent reaction."

He went on: "Renouncing the faith and backsliding are acts of sin and are very much frowned upon in Islam. However, Islam does not teach forcing anyone to become Muslim or to remain Muslim."

"We find some instances where (Muhammad) prescribed 'death sentence' against those who renounce Islam. . . . Most scholars take these statements (Hadith) to mean punishment for high treason. According to this interpretation, if anyone leaves the faith, becomes rebellious bellicose (muharib) or joins a rebellious group of non-Muslims who want to revolt against the Muslim state, then they can be tried and may be subjected to capital punishment if proved they committed high treason. . . . It is comparable to a U.S. citizen renouncing his citizenship and then joining al-Qaida. The U.S. government will try him not for renouncing his citizenship, but for joining a rebellious and terrorist group."

I asked about his appearance at a rally in Washington, D.C., in 2000. On the stage were other Muslim speakers, including Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi, later convicted of conspiring with Lybia. Amoudi told the crowd, "We are all supporters of Hamas," and, "I am also a supporter of Hezbollah." What was Siddiqi's reaction to that?

"I spoke and left to catch my flight back to L.A. I did not attend Amoudi's speech. Every speaker was speaking on his or her own behalf. No one in the rally spoke on behalf of everyone."

I suspect these answers will not satisfy his detractors.

Mickadeit writes Mon.-Fri. Contact him at 714-796-4994 or fmickadeit@ocregister.com

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